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Easy-to-use solar panels are coming, but utilities are trying to delay them (www.kuow.org)

submitted 4 days ago by grimpy@lemmy.myserv.one to c/solarpunk@slrpnk.net

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“Easy-to-install solar panels that plug into a regular outlet are getting attention just as Americans are worried about rising energy costs. That's because these plug-in or balcony solar panels start shaving off part of a homeowner's or renter's utility bill right away.

"”A year ago, nobody was talking about this," says Cora Stryker, co-founder of Bright Saver, a California nonprofit group that advocates for plug-in solar. The panels are already popular in Germany, where more than 1.2 million of the small plug-in systems are registered with the German government.”

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[–] AmbitiousProcess@piefed.social 14 points 4 days ago (6 children)

This is genuinely so fucking cool. I had never even considered that you could just plug a solar panel into a regular outlet and it wouldn't like, somehow completely wreck your electrical system or something.

As someone who probably won't own my home soon, if ever, if I end up living in an apartment where I owe money for the electricity I use rather than it being an inclusive bundle with the rent, it could be genuinely really cool to just have a solar panel or two I can hang off a balcony, offset some of my electricity cost, but still be able to take it with me whenever I inevitably have to move out because the landlord decides he's gonna try to squeeze me for more rent.

[–] chaogomu@lemmy.world -2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Plugging a power producer into an outlet does sound like a fast way to light your house on fire.

Or, if you touch the death prongs, death.

But maybe it would work. I'd not trust it, especially not in older houses.

[–] momar@layer8.space 5 points 3 days ago

@chaogomu @AmbitiousProcess That's quite usual for example in Germany now & there are good regulations for these products. They only work when there is grid power coming from the outlet as well, and they are limited in output power, to avoid both the fire and shock hazards.

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